Deceleration signal



Feb. 19, 1952 R, P. McNERNx-:Y

DECELERATION SIGNAL Filed July- 9, 1951 Patented Feb. 19, 1952 DECELERATION SIGNAL Robert' P. McNerney-'Sharpsville, Pa., assignorofl ffftypencentbto Charles J SongerLFarrelLPa.

.Application July.. 9; 1951, SerialNo. 235,782-

i'. This invention relates toP signals. and .more par'- ticularly to a continuationLini-part; of` my" copending patent application Serial' No. 130,497; iiledDecemberl, 1949, nowPatent Noj2;573 ,`479, dated" October 30, 1951', on Dec'eleration Signal. The principal object of` the invention isthe provision 'of a`l deceleration indicator44 for: motor vehicles.

A' further .obj ect "of" theA invention is" the' pro.- vision of4 a deceleration.. signal incorporating a self-leveling mechanism-"operating by inertia-to closey an electrical circuit upon the' deceleration of a vehicle in which'the deviceisposition'ed.

A'still" further' object "ofthe invention is"'the provision 'of a'deceleration signal'incorporating dual means `movable. by' deceleration 'of thek 'motor lvehicleto close` an electricalv circuit.

- ziclsims. (o1. 'zou-52) `The deceleration. signal'shown and'desc'ribe'fd' herein comprisesy a' 'continuation-impart'- of my aforementioned 'co-pending patentapplic'ation which `theinertiaof a float 'secured' 'to' a' "pivotr arm"is"utiliz`edto closean'electricalcircuit.' The presentinvention was disclosed-'-'originally@iii-thev tive when connected with a power 'source andi'` a signal 'light on the vehicley in 'indicating instantaneouslyv any deceleration'Y Ain thee'- vehiclez Thev decelerationsignal disclosed herein is capable-of' maintaining its normal: inoperative fporsition despite any` inclination of? the*V motora vehicl'efto whichf it is attached.

`With`the foregoing andfotl'rer` objects" inf -vlew which will appear as" the' description proceeds; the

invention resides in-theicombinationand arrange-` mentof parts and'in the detailsv of construction hereinafter describedand claimed', itibeingunderstood' that' changesintheprecise^`embodiment 'of' the invention herein. disclosed ican4 bemade 3 within'the scope ofi what is; claimed: without de parting frometheispirit ofth'e' invention.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Figure 1 is a side elevation with parts broken away in cross section.

Figure 2 is a vertical sectiontaken on linef2=2- of Figurey 1'.

.Figure 3 is alhorizontal section taken onzline 3--3 of Figure'1 1%.

By referring tothedrawings*y and-Figure 1-:in particular it will be seenfthat the decelerationsignal comprises a liquid-tight housing II) having.. a closure I I secured thereto in a liquid-tight manner and specic'ally'against an'outturned flange I 2 on the housing Ill. An access opening I3 is'formed in the closure I I and provided with acapf I4`which isi` normally in position thereon so 'as to vretain liquid such as a light oil'in the. housing. IEI which isl completely nlled thereby; Secured to theolosure .I I therev is a body member vI 41 which. incorporates a pair of'spaced depending arms I5,1 the lowermost ends of'which are inturned. and downturned as atIS; The downturned' ends I6 ofthe arms li'have a pair'of horizontally spaced pivots I'! and I8 positioned' therebetween; the pivots; .IT

serving. to pivotally'ai'x the lower endof an arm I9 to the downturne'dends I6 and the `pivotsfIS servingto aflix' the upper end of1 asecondaryarm 20' to `the saidV downturnedv ends IB.v A- floatA v2| is secured to the upper: end ofjthe arm I9 anda weight 22 is `secured to the'lowermost end offthe' secondary arm-.20;

By referring to. Figures l and Soil thedrawings it will be observed thatitlie arms E9 and'20'lare oiT'set horizontally/*with respectto one another and at the same time positioned. on acommon' vertical. plane as.r `liest shown: in Figure 3l of the4 drawings. The floatv 2I-1 is: adapted to pivot on the pivots il' in the area between the arms .I5 ofthe body.y member: vIIIA and the. weight 22 .is adapted' t'o'....pivotin,an.arc basedxon the pivot I8. '17h-eilo-atl 2I-has a lever 23v extending outwardly froml one end thereof; asbest shown invEiguresl and 2 'ofthe'l drawings; and the weight 22l7 has a secondary lever Zll'extending outwardly therefrom and.VV beneath the lever 23. The levers=23ihas a downturned end carrying a pivot. 25 andthe secondary lever 2'4 has an upturn'ed' endcarrying av pivot 25; Atub'ular mercury switch 21p isk posi- 1 tioned in a pairof bands 28v whichc are also pivn oted to the pivots 25 and 25. It' willbe observed that the' pivot 26 is spaced with respect' tothe `pivot lthe saine' distance as the spacing ofthe pivot25 with respect tothe pivot Il. Thus, mo,- tion ofthe float 2'I toward the left; asshown in Figure 1 and indicated'by thearrowon the float, responsive" to deceleration Zof an automobile"to rwhiclith'e` housing i0; is secured; movesthei-lever 23 andi the lpivot' 25 downwardly -on an arc based on the pivot II whereas the same motion simultaneously results in the movement of the weight 22 to the left, as shown in Figure .l of the drawings, and the movement of the pivot 26 upwardly on an arc based on the pivot I8. The mercury switch 21 being spaced uniformly between the pivots 25 and 26 will therefore have its left end, as shown in Figure l of the drawings, depressed by the action of the float 2| responsive to inertia while the right end of the mercury switch 21 will be elevated as occasioned by the action of the weight 22 responsive to inertia. The resulting motion imparted the mercury switch 21 is twice as rapid as would be occasioned by the action of either the iioat 2I or the weight 22 by themselves and the device is therefore capable of indicating deceleration eariler than would otherwise be the case.

It will occur to those skilled in the art that the mercury switch is so arranged that in horizontal or near horizontal position, as shown in Figure l,

the switch will remain open and that in order that a circuit be closed through the switch, the left end must be depressed and/or the right end must be elevated. Circuit wires 29, which are of the exible type associated. with mercury switches, connect the mercury switch 21 with terminals 30 which extend through the closure II. A power source 3I and a signal light 32 are indicated diagrammatically in Figure l of the drawings to show a workable signal in connection with the device.

Those skilled in the art will also recognize that the filling of the housing Ill with a fluid such oil renders the device operative and more eiiicient than would otherwise be the case as the float 2| seeks to maintain the arm I9 in the perpendicular position while the weight 22 seeks to maintain the secondary arm 20 in perpendicular position despite any tilt which may be imparted the housing I0 as a result of the operation of the automobile on which the device is installed. v

In operation the device is preferably attached to the motor vehicle in the vicinity of one of the circ-uit wires normally used in connection with the stop light of the vehicle with the stop light switch and power source as known in the art.

The device then acts as a secondary switch or from the application of the brakes of the vehicle and the subsequent closing of the` usual stop light switch. For example, if' the equipped motor vehicle is being driven along at a Iuniform rate of speed, the fluid will maintain the arms I9 and 20 in normal vertical position and the switch 21 in horizontal position and thereby open. This action is maintained despite any inclination of the motor vehicle as in going up or down a hill as the float 2I, the weight 22, the arms I9 and 20 and the switch 21 all pivot freely on the pivot pins I1 and I8. However, at such time as the motor vehicle begins to decelerate, inertia of the float 2| and weight 22 causes the same to move to the left, as shown in Figure 1 of the drawings, which is the direction of the front of the vehicle and thereby tilts the mercury switch 21 to move it to closed circuit position. The inertia of the mercury in the switch 21 is also utilized at the same time to move toward the right end of the switch 21 at such time as the vehicle decelerates. Thus an instantaneous deceleration warning is given as the closed circuit energizes the stop light of the vehicle.

At such time as the deceleration of the vehicle ends, the float 2I and the weight 22 again seek their normal positions and move the arms I9 and 20 to vertical position and the switch 21 to horizontal position and thereby opens the circuit. Acceleration of the vehicle tends only to move the float 2l and the weight 22 to the right and thereby tilts the mercury switch 21 away from open position so that inertia of the mercury therein is unable to cause the same to flow suiliciently to reach the contacts and close the circuit therethrough. It will be observed that there is at no time any flow of the fluid in the housing I0 and in which the entire mechanism of the device is submerged.`v There is, therefore, no false action of the decelerationsignal such as would occur if the device were responsive in operation or adjustment to the iluid level in the housing. It will also be seen that the device may be inexpensively constructed and that all of the working parts are assembled through the closure I I and then positioned in the housing IB by the positioning and securing of the closure II thereto.

It will .thus be seen that Ithe several objects of the invention have been met by the deceleration,

signal herein disclosed.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

l. A deceleration signal comprising a liquid filled housing having -a removable closure forming its top portion, a body member on said closure including spaced depending portions and pivot pins spacing said depending portions adjacent their lowermost ends, an arm pivoted to one of the pivot pins between the depending portions of the body member-and a float securedto the upper end of said arm so as to maintain the same in normal vertical. position,. a secondary arm pivoted to the other of said pivot pins anda weight secured to the lower end of said secondary arm so as to maintain the same in normal vertical position, a lever secured to the float and extending outwardly therefromk and a secondary lever secured to the weight and extending outwardly therefrom, a mercury switch-pivotally secured between the ends of said lever and secondary lever so as to receive upward and downward movement as occasioned by the movement of said iioat and weight responsive to inertia overcoming the normal floating position of the float and the normal suspended position of the weight.

2.. A deceleration signal comprising a liquid container and structural means therein, a pair of pivot pins in said structural means, an arm pivoted to one of the pivot pins and a float secured to the upper end of the arm so as to maintain the same in normal vertical position, a secondary arm pivot-ed to the other one of said pair of pivot pins and a weight secured to the lower end of said secondary arm so as to maintain the same in normal vertical position, a lever secured to the float and extending outwardly therefrom and a secondary lever secured to the weight and extending outwardly therefrom, a mercury switch pivctally secured to the respective ends of said lever and secondary lever so as to receive upward and downward movement as occasioned by the movement of said iioat and weight responsive to inertia overcoming the normal iioating position of the iioat and the normal suspended position of the weight.

' ROBERT P. MCNERNEY.

No references cited. 

